Category: Seattle

Who Needs VCs? Seattle Entrepreneurs Say Bootstrapping Is the Way To Go (Part 1)

Should young tech companies seek venture capital, or try to bootstrap their way to profitability? It’s a hot topic these days, especially with the economy and funding climate the way they are. I’ve been asking experienced entrepreneurs around town for their opinions on bootstrapping versus venture capital and angel investment, after I read a recent … Continue reading “Who Needs VCs? Seattle Entrepreneurs Say Bootstrapping Is the Way To Go (Part 1)”

Scout Medical: The Device Incubator That Batted 3-For-3

Everybody in the Seattle life sciences scene has heard about Accelerator, as a model for venture-backed incubators of promising biotech startups. But when the report cards come due on its portfolio companies in a few years, it may end up the second-ranked local incubator of life sciences startups behind Scout Medical Technologies. Scout was founded … Continue reading “Scout Medical: The Device Incubator That Batted 3-For-3”

DotNetNuke Garners Series A Financing

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=f6bdb657-9e1f-4b85-87d6-21ec3fcc21d5&Preview=1 Date 11/27/2008 Company Name DotNetNuke Mailing Address Two Union Square 601 Union Street Seattle, WA 98101 Company Description DotNetNuke Corporation is the official Project Owner and Maintainer of the DotNetNuke® Web Application Framework, the largest and most successful open source project native to the Microsoft platform. DotNetNuke Corporation is a privately … Continue reading “DotNetNuke Garners Series A Financing”

Big Fish Releases Biggest, Most Ambitious Game

Seattle-based Big Fish Games announced it has released Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst. It’s the fifth game in the hidden-object adventure series, which is one of the biggest in the casual game industry. The latest title is the largest and most ambitious project to come out of Big Fish’s studios, and CEO Jeremy Lewis … Continue reading “Big Fish Releases Biggest, Most Ambitious Game”

Vulcan’s “Digital Aristotle” Moves Toward Vision of Computers that Answer Scientific Questions

The days when any one person could be a credible expert on all the world’s scientific knowledge, capable of distilling complex data and concepts into a clear, understandable answer, are said to have ended with Aristotle. Now Paul Allen, the billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, is pursuing a vision of a computer program that harnesses scientific … Continue reading “Vulcan’s “Digital Aristotle” Moves Toward Vision of Computers that Answer Scientific Questions”

Plunging Oil Prices Require Alternative Fuel Startups to Take a Long View

Historic high prices for petroleum over the past decade have stoked a surge of interest in alternative fuels and renewable energy, and dozens of startups have been formed to develop new technologies in the field.Now this year’s extraordinary spike in crude oil prices is being matched by an equally spectacular swoon. Crude oil prices fell to … Continue reading “Plunging Oil Prices Require Alternative Fuel Startups to Take a Long View”

Cozi Surpasses 1 Million Members, Looks to Replace Pen and Paper for Managing Family Life

Want to simplify your holiday shopping lists this year? What about keeping track of who’s picking up the kids from the airport, or who’s going to watch the bird in the oven while you entertain guests? A Seattle startup appears to be gaining traction in helping people manage these kinds of tasks. Cozi, a software … Continue reading “Cozi Surpasses 1 Million Members, Looks to Replace Pen and Paper for Managing Family Life”

Microsoft Cuts Staff at FAST Search Division

Xconomy received a report last week that the Oslo, Norway-based FAST Search division of Microsoft, which has a 180-person outpost in Needham, MA, and a smaller office in New York, had laid off 25 people in its U.S. offices. We have now confirmed that report, and have learned that 10 of the affected staff members … Continue reading “Microsoft Cuts Staff at FAST Search Division”

Cyber Attack of the Critical Infrastructure: WTIA Event

Who is attacking SCADA ( the Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition controls generally used in industrial control systems such as manufacturing, power grid, power plants, and medical equipment)? Jason Larsen, a principal security consultant with IOActive, will define various types of infrastructure attacks and provide insights into several attack routes of entry.  The Washington Technology … Continue reading “Cyber Attack of the Critical Infrastructure: WTIA Event”

Twitter Acquires Portland-based Values of N, Gets New Talent

Values of n, a collaborative-software startup in Portland, OR, has been acquired by San Francisco-based Twitter for an undisclosed amount. The startup’s existing products will be shut down on December 8, but “the technology behind the scenes will live on and potentially re-emerge as part of Twitter’s systems, services, user experience, or open source libraries,” … Continue reading “Twitter Acquires Portland-based Values of N, Gets New Talent”

Gates Foundation Pares Back Grants for 2009, Still Plans 10 Percent Spending Boost

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is planning to dole out less grant money in 2009 than anticipated, in response to the global financial crisis. The Seattle-based foundation, the world’s largest philanthropy devoted to global health, is still planning to spend 10 percent more on grants next year than in 2008, although that’s less than … Continue reading “Gates Foundation Pares Back Grants for 2009, Still Plans 10 Percent Spending Boost”

Light Sciences Oncology Finishes Enrollment in Pivotal Clinical Trial

Light Sciences Oncology, a Bellevue, WA-based developer of cancer drugs, said it has completed enrollment of 200 patients with liver tumors in a clinical trial. The goal of the study is to see whether patients live longer after they get LitX. The company’s treatment is designed to use a light-emitting diode, threaded inside a tumor, … Continue reading “Light Sciences Oncology Finishes Enrollment in Pivotal Clinical Trial”

Mobui Behind TiVo Mobile Application

Mobui, a Redmond, WA-based mobile applications firm, and TiVo (NASDAQ:[[ticker:TIVO]]), headquartered in Alvisto, CA, have announced that the two firms developed a new Web site that enables TiVo subscribers to use their mobile phones to schedule recordings on their TiVo boxes. This follows news last week about Mobui’s partnership with VH1 to develop an application … Continue reading “Mobui Behind TiVo Mobile Application”

Datacastle Gets $5.3M, Geospiza Goes Gene-Sifting, Bsquare Buys TechQuest, & More Seattle-Area Deals News

Heading into the holiday season, it was a fairly slow week in the Northwest for deals. But there was still some substantial activity in software and biotech—and some activity about the activity (see immediately below). —Bellevue, WA-based software and services firm Bsquare (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSQR]]) acquired TechQuest, a test-automation software maker in Minneapolis, MN, for $2.2 … Continue reading “Datacastle Gets $5.3M, Geospiza Goes Gene-Sifting, Bsquare Buys TechQuest, & More Seattle-Area Deals News”

Xconomy Closes Second Financing Round

Xconomy has closed the first tranche of its second financing round, we are extremely pleased to announce. Return investor CommonAngels, the premier angel group in New England, led the round. New investor LaunchCapital—a small (and very astute) early-stage venture fund with offices in Cambridge, MA; New Haven, CT; and Palo Alto—also participated. And they were … Continue reading “Xconomy Closes Second Financing Round”

Hold on Tight: Biotech Execs Predict Hard Times for Industry as Cash Dwindles

Most biotech companies live and die based on how much cash they have in the bank to fuel drug development. So we’ve combed through the cash statements of more than 70 publicly traded life sciences companies in Xconomy’s home cities of Boston, San Diego, and Seattle, to see just how well-positioned the local clusters are … Continue reading “Hold on Tight: Biotech Execs Predict Hard Times for Industry as Cash Dwindles”

Layoffs and New Lives: Hubspan, CarDomain, and Jobster Join the Seattle Layoff Litany

Two weeks ago, Xconomy published our first iteration of what we call the Seattle Layoff Litany. It’s a document that tracks tech and life sciences job cuts in the Northwest. Here is a quick update about three local companies that have gone through layoffs since then (one is unconfirmed). I thought it was especially interesting … Continue reading “Layoffs and New Lives: Hubspan, CarDomain, and Jobster Join the Seattle Layoff Litany”

WBBA Fireside Chat: Bruce Carter, Bruce Montgomery, Stewart Parker

The WBBA is hosting a fireside chat December 15 with three leading entrepreneurs in Seattle biotech. Bruce Montgomery, Stewart Parker and Bruce Carter will tell stories of many goodly states and kingdoms, from Immunex to ZymoGenetics, from Corus to Targeted Genetics, from Novo Nordisk to Gilead. A reception with food and wine will follow. Registration … Continue reading “WBBA Fireside Chat: Bruce Carter, Bruce Montgomery, Stewart Parker”

Casual Games May Be Recession-Proof; Companies Report Record Revenues, and Some Surprising Trends

“Countercyclical” is a word you’re probably going to hear a lot in the coming months—from entrepreneurs professing that their businesses are not only recession-proof, but will actually fare better during lean times. It’s a word that the leaders of the casual games industry, which has a strong presence in both Seattle and Boston, have been … Continue reading “Casual Games May Be Recession-Proof; Companies Report Record Revenues, and Some Surprising Trends”

Agios Pharmaceuticals Forges Ahead With Lab to Starve Cancer Cells

Agios Pharmaceuticals is moving full steam ahead. The company has moved into a new 21,000-square-foot space in Cambridge, MA, that it says is the world’s largest lab devoted to studying how to throw a wrench into the overactive metabolism of cancer cells that normally allows them to grow and thrive. It has also recruited five … Continue reading “Agios Pharmaceuticals Forges Ahead With Lab to Starve Cancer Cells”

Surviving the Downturn: Advice from Seattle-Area Firms Atlas Accelerator, Geospiza, and Mercent

Updated Nov. 24 with corrections from Mike Crill: Last Thursday, the Seattle-based Alliance of Angels hosted a panel discussion on “managing through an economic downturn,” otherwise known as “Downturnapalooza.” The panelists were Eric Best of Seattle-based e-commerce firm Mercent, Mike Crill of Bellevue, WA-based consulting company Atlas Accelerator, and Rob Arnold of Seattle-based bio-software firm … Continue reading “Surviving the Downturn: Advice from Seattle-Area Firms Atlas Accelerator, Geospiza, and Mercent”

Yieldex Wins $100K Amazon Startup Challenge

Last night, Amazon Web Services announced the winner of its second annual AWS Startup Challenge: Yieldex, based in Colorado, California, and New York, helps advertisers and publishers manage their inventory by predicting how ads will perform on different websites. The company receives $100,000 in cash and Web services credits, plus a potential investment offer. Yieldex … Continue reading “Yieldex Wins $100K Amazon Startup Challenge”

Where Innovators Meet Up: The Greater Seattle Coffee Cluster, Part Two

A week ago, Xconomy Seattle published a list and an interactive map of the coffee hotspots around town where entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators like to gather. It generated a fair bit of attention and a really great response from our readers. So I thought we should post an updated list here with a bunch of … Continue reading “Where Innovators Meet Up: The Greater Seattle Coffee Cluster, Part Two”

ZymoGenetics CEO Bruce Carter Retires, Promotes Doug Williams, Says Sad Goodbyes to Biotech “Family”

It’s a sad day for Seattle biotech. One of the charismatic pioneers of the local life sciences cluster, Bruce Carter, is retiring from his job as CEO of ZymoGenetics. “I’m quite sad,” Carter says. “I’ve been here a long time, and it’s sort of like my family.” The news is really no surprise. Carter, 65, … Continue reading “ZymoGenetics CEO Bruce Carter Retires, Promotes Doug Williams, Says Sad Goodbyes to Biotech “Family””

Accelerator Startup, GPC-Rx, Uses Computers to Make Drugs Without Side Effects

Accelerator’s newest startup could, if it wanted to, make a version of marijuana that wouldn’t give people the munchies. Seattle-based GPC-Rx isn’t going to do that, but it is using sophisticated 3-D computer modeling to help researchers design other drugs to specifically do their main job, without the usual side effects. This company has its … Continue reading “Accelerator Startup, GPC-Rx, Uses Computers to Make Drugs Without Side Effects”

Springpad Wants to Be Your Online Home for the Holidays, And After

If you’re like me, you go through life with the vague hope that someday, technology will help you become a more efficient person. How often I’ve driven to the grocery store or the library to pick up one thing, knowing full well that there’s some other item I needed, but that I’ll never be able … Continue reading “Springpad Wants to Be Your Online Home for the Holidays, And After”

Bsquare CEO Brian Crowley: TestQuest Acquisition “Really Important”

Today’s news that Bellevue, WA-based software firm Bsquare (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSQR]]) is buying Minneapolis, MN-based TestQuest for $2.2 million has sparked some lively discussion. Bsquare founder and former CEO Bill Baxter, who left the company in 2004, wrote in to say “the investment is not a huge thing for the company” and that “they might benefit … Continue reading “Bsquare CEO Brian Crowley: TestQuest Acquisition “Really Important””

Massachusetts, Washington Top Kauffman Foundation’s List of “New Economy” States

In a report released Tuesday, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) and the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation named Massachusetts the nation’s leading state when it comes to the structural economic factors that make the state’s businesses competitive in the “New Economy”—defined as global, entrepreneurial, knowledge-based, rooted in information technologies, and innovation-driven. Massachusetts hung onto … Continue reading “Massachusetts, Washington Top Kauffman Foundation’s List of “New Economy” States”

Bsquare Founder Bill Baxter Comments on TestQuest Acquisition—Sees Marginal Benefit

This morning, there was news about Bellevue, WA-based Bsquare buying the assets of TestQuest, a Minneapolis, MN-based mobile software firm, for $2.2 million. It made me think about the strategy behind the deal, and whether it signifies a shift in Bsquare’s business. So I pinged Bill Baxter, who founded Bsquare as CEO in 1994 and … Continue reading “Bsquare Founder Bill Baxter Comments on TestQuest Acquisition—Sees Marginal Benefit”

Bsquare Buys TestQuest for $2.2M

Bellevue, WA-based Bsquare (NASDAQ: [[ticker:BSQR]]) announced today it has acquired the assets of TestQuest, a mobile test automation and management company based in Minneapolis, MN. The purchase price is about $2.2 million. The acquisition helps Bsquare, which makes software for smart devices, add new customers in the U.S., Asia, and Europe.

Geospiza to Acquire VizX Labs’ Genesifter Technology For Genomic Data

Geospiza, a Seattle-based maker of software to help researchers keep track of massive amounts of genomic data, said today it has acquired the Genesifter technology created by Seattle-based VizX Labs. Terms of the acquisition weren’t disclosed. Geospiza president Rob Arnold said in a statement that the acquisition will enable his company to speed up expansion … Continue reading “Geospiza to Acquire VizX Labs’ Genesifter Technology For Genomic Data”

Immune Design Obtains Vaccine Booster From IDRI

Immune Design, the Seattle-based vaccine development company, has obtained a worldwide exclusive license to develop a vaccine-boosting compound invented at the Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI). The technology, a glycopyranosyl lipid adjuvant, may be used to enhance the effectiveness of vaccines. The nonprofit IDRI will receive an upfront payment, milestone payments on success in testing, … Continue reading “Immune Design Obtains Vaccine Booster From IDRI”

Mayonnaise Wrestling, Flavor Fanaticism, and Social Media on Steroids: The Bacon Salt Story

Sometimes the best stories are the hardest to tell. This isn’t one of them. I’m not quite sure where to begin, but here goes. There is a startup in South Seattle called Bacon Salt. Maybe you’ve heard of it, maybe you haven’t. But the name says it all: Bacon Salt is a zero-calorie, vegetarian, kosher … Continue reading “Mayonnaise Wrestling, Flavor Fanaticism, and Social Media on Steroids: The Bacon Salt Story”

Seattle’s Pharma Godfather, Vaccine Impresario Re-Emerges, Accelerator Gets New Investor & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News

We scored exclusive interviews with a couple of biotech industry leaders this week, and heard their views on some of the most intriguing technologies they see emerging in Seattle and around the world. —Former Merck research leader Bennett Shapiro, who lives in a waterfront home in Seattle’s Magnolia neighborhood, explained why he thinks life sciences … Continue reading “Seattle’s Pharma Godfather, Vaccine Impresario Re-Emerges, Accelerator Gets New Investor & More Seattle-Area Life Sciences News”

Datacastle Closes $5.3M Series A Financing, Gets New Leadership

It’s been a busy week for data-protection companies around here. Two days after Decho was formed out of Seattle-based Pi and Utah-based Mozy, information security firm Datacastle of Seattle has announced a $5.3 million Series A financing round. The investment was led by the Australian venture firm CM Capital Investments. No other investors were disclosed. … Continue reading “Datacastle Closes $5.3M Series A Financing, Gets New Leadership”

Avion, Kinetic Vehicles, and Western Washington University Compete for $10M Automotive X Prize

The Automotive X Prize in Los Angeles announced today it has chosen its first 22 teams to compete for $10 million in prizes that will be awarded for developing super fuel-efficient vehicles (100 miles per gallon or equivalent is the nominal goal). Among this first wave of contenders are three Northwest teams: Bellingham, WA-based Avion; … Continue reading “Avion, Kinetic Vehicles, and Western Washington University Compete for $10M Automotive X Prize”

Ambric Closes Down, Goes on Sale

Ambric, a Beaverton, OR-based semiconductor company, has announced it is shutting down and looking for a corporate buyer. The firm has suspended all operations not having to do with its sale or existing customer agreements. Ambric has developed software-programmable parallel processor chips that are used in video coding, wireless base stations, and medical and military … Continue reading “Ambric Closes Down, Goes on Sale”

Local Seattle News Site, Crosscut, May Switch to Nonprofit Model To Pay the Bills

One of Seattle’s best-known technology investors, Tom Alberg of Madrona Venture Group, had a conversation a couple years ago with David Brewster, the founding editor of Seattle Weekly, about how the Internet was transforming journalism. “Tom said, ‘Local news is a big opportunity, and online media is a big opportunity. Let’s brainstorm some ideas,’” Brewster … Continue reading “Local Seattle News Site, Crosscut, May Switch to Nonprofit Model To Pay the Bills”

Young Innovators Network Aims to Boost Leading-Edge Ideas at “‘The Hutch”‘

Get ’em while they’re young. It’s true of the folks who market breakfast cereals, and also in the world of philanthropy. The Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center has a reputation as a world-class research center, and it has no trouble enticing A-list Seattle businesspeople to join its board and open their checkbooks. Usually these people … Continue reading “Young Innovators Network Aims to Boost Leading-Edge Ideas at “‘The Hutch”‘”

TeachStreet Expands to Bay Area

Seattle-based TeachStreet announced today it has moved into the San Francisco Bay Area in a major expansion of its service, which helps local teachers and students connect with one another online. The company’s initial Bay Area site has more than 65,000 listings of classes, teachers, and experts in everything from aikido to yoga. TeachStreet, which … Continue reading “TeachStreet Expands to Bay Area”

Going Global: Ken Myer of WTIA Talks China Trip, Mobile Market, and Achievement Awards

Last month, Xconomy reported on a visit to China by five Seattle-area tech companies as part of a mobile-telecom mission organized by the Washington Technology Industry Association (WTIA). The goal of the trip was to open up business opportunities for the companies by setting up meetings with potential partners, investors, and customers. On Friday, I … Continue reading “Going Global: Ken Myer of WTIA Talks China Trip, Mobile Market, and Achievement Awards”

Biotech Analyst Runs For City Council

David Miller, the co-founder and CEO of Biotech Stock Research, an independent stock research firm in Seattle, has filed paperwork to run for the Seattle City Council. Miller plans to continue operating his stock newsletter throughout the campaign which ends in November 2009, and plans to keep the company operating if he wins, he and … Continue reading “Biotech Analyst Runs For City Council”

WBBA Hires Chris Rivera As President, Replacing Retiring Jack Faris

Chris Rivera, a longtime biotech industry executive with experience in sales and marketing, has been hired as the new president of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association, the state’s trade group for the life sciences industry. He will officially replace Jack Faris, who is retiring, on Jan. 1. “I feel a great sense of responsibility … Continue reading “WBBA Hires Chris Rivera As President, Replacing Retiring Jack Faris”

Datacastle Garners $5,300,000 Series A Funding Round

Feed Type Link http://www.venturedeal.com/Search/SearchResultTransactionDetail.aspx?TransactionId=7d52cbbc-8588-411a-9c8c-f0306dc1f50c&Preview=1 Date 11/19/2008 Company Name Datacastle Mailing Address 701 North 36th Street Seattle, WA 98103 Company Description Datacastle Corporation has a singular mission – to help organizations simply and cost effectively protect data against loss and laptop theft. We set out in 2005 to address the data protection challenges that expose organizations … Continue reading “Datacastle Garners $5,300,000 Series A Funding Round”

Mobui, VH1 Do Mobile Chat on AT&T

Redmond, WA-based Mobui, a mobile applications firm, announced today it has partnered with VH1 (a division of Viacom’s MTV Networks) to deliver a live-chat service that is available from the AT&T Media Mall. The mobile application, which lets you instant-message your friends while watching VH1 programs, is currently supported on 37 AT&T phones and is … Continue reading “Mobui, VH1 Do Mobile Chat on AT&T”

Electricity Economy Expert Jesse Berst Weighs In on EnerG2 Startup

I pinged energy expert Jesse Berst, the managing director of Redmond, WA-based GlobalSmartEnergy, to get his take on EnerG2, the venture-backed energy-storage startup we profiled earlier today. EnerG2 has developed a nanotech approach to building better batteries and “ultracapacitors” for storing electricity. Berst, an Xconomist, replied with some insights into the startup’s prospects for becoming … Continue reading “Electricity Economy Expert Jesse Berst Weighs In on EnerG2 Startup”

Amazon Takes on Akamai with CloudFront Delivery Network

Does Amazon’s CloudFront announcement today mean a cold front is on the way for Cambridge, MA-based Akamai? Amazon (NASDAQ: [[ticker:AMZN]]) said a couple of months ago that it was working on a way to let users of its Amazon Web Services  infrastructure speed delivery of Web graphics, software downloads, audio and video files, and other … Continue reading “Amazon Takes on Akamai with CloudFront Delivery Network”